Nick Saban wears Nittany Lion costume for College GameDay at Penn State

Remember the gruff Nick Saban who never enjoyed being in front of the media and rarely flashed a smile? Whatever happened to that guy?

Less than a year after he retired from coaching, Saban is seemingly carefree and showing more of his fun side than ever. From singing Wagon Wheel with Darius Rucker to cussing on live TV, we’re seeing the recently turned 73-year-old embrace a side of college football we didn’t know he was mentally capable of enjoying

The latest example occurred early on in Saturday morning’s edition of ESPN’s College GameDay in Happy Valley as Penn State’s mascot brought him a belated birthday present: A Nittany Lion costume.

By the time GameDay returned from commercial, Saban had the new outfit on and looked like a lifelong Penn State fan.

The Nittany Lion brought Nick Saban a gift for his birthday pic.twitter.com/OPXOMkDZOm

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 2, 2024